Traveling temperature plant



Aug. 27, 1929.- A MASOIAN I 1,726.081

TRAVELING TEMPERATURE PLANT Filed Oct. 20, 1927 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 '1, 1 Y P. M. MASOIAN 1,726,031

-TRAVELFNCT TEMPERATURE PLANT I Filed Oct. 20 1927 "2 shets sheet 2.

w A N Patented Aug. 27, 1929. I

UNITED STATES- PETE M. msomlv, on enamrn CITY, rumors.

TRAVELING TEMPERATURE PLANT. I

- Application med October 20, 1927. Serial m5. 227,592.

Thisinvention has for its obj ect to provide a traveling temperature plant, the units of which consist of cars adapted to be coupled together in the form of a train and carrying apparatus adapted to control the temperature of those cars of the train which are'used for transporting perishable commodities.

One unitof the plant in cludes a housing car body and refrigerating apparatus adapted to utilize any usual or suitable volatile liquid or substance such as ammonia, carbondioxide, etc. for the purpose of cooling, within the car, a refrigerating fluid such as brine and also adapted to circulate the brine through a refrigerator car coupled to the apparatus housing car, and to return the brine to the housing car for recooling, the organization being such that the operation of coupling a refrigerator car to the refrigerating plant car '20 completes the brine circuiting system adapted to conduct cooled brine from the refrigerating apparatus .to and through the refrigerator car and from the latter back t0 the former.

A-furtherobject of the invention is to provide as" a unit of the train a refrigerator car having compartments at the opposite ends thereof with cooling coils housed therein and withmeans for determining the temperature of the compartments in the said car.

A further object of the invention is to provide as a unit of the train a car having a boiler mounted thereon. and adapted to be used for-supplying hot water to the circulating system when it is desired thatthe commodity be kept warm instead of being subjected to the preserving influence of a refrigerant. The idea of providing a separate unit having a: heater'is to avoid the necessity of taking the heat from the boiler of the locom0-,

tive which pulls the train, for the reason that locomotives need all of the energy and power that they are capable of generating to pull trains underprevailing conditions.

Rpilroadcompanies will not use a refrigcrating system that takes its power from the locomotive and they will not permit the carrying ordnstallhtion of aseparate boiler upon the locomotive, for the reason that the locomotive is not atall times used for pulling trains, 5 carrying fruit =or perishable products and a ain the same fruitcars may be connected to a other train of a different company. This w uld cause too much complication. In wi ter time, it would cause excessive weight winter, cooling is not needed.

to t e load of the locomotive, because in the Refrigerator'cars are usually filled with ice atthe time that the perishable product is loaded or at the point from which the product is shipped. The refrigerating apparatus 0 is intended to keep the ice from melting after the train has started on its journey. It will keep the ice in a solid condition, so that when the car reachesits destination, the original supply of ice is still in the car and should this car be disconnected fromthe train, it will be fully iced and will be able to stand on a side track for a long period of time be-. fore the ice melts. In the winter time, the same cooling coils that were used in summer may be used to keep the .car at any uniform,

temperature that may be desired.

In the accompanying drawing Figure 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a refrigerating car and showing a fragment of the refrigerator car; Figure 2 is a fragmentary plan view of piping used in the system; I Figure 3 is. a side elevational view of a train of cars showing the refrigerator car in longitudinal section.

' The refrigerator car consists of a body 1 having interiorlylocated partitions 2 spaced from its end walls and forming refrigerating compartments 3. Vertically disposed. coils 4 are housed in the compartments 3 and an overhead pipe 5 connects the upper ends of the coils4 together. The lower ends of the coils 4 are connected together by a lower pipe 6. The pi es 5 and 6 are disposed longitudinally of the ody of the car. The pipe 6' hasdts v end portions extended beyond the end walls .of the body of the car and provided with .valves 7 and coupling members 8.

The water heater consists of a boiler 9 mounted upon'a car platform 10 and the said platform car is preferably coupled with the tender of the engine when the train is made up and is at theforWard end of thetrain. The boiler 9 may be heated by oil or any other suitable fuel. A pipe 11 is disposed alon the platform 10 and is connected with the lioiler and is @proirided with suitable valves 11. I

The-refrigerating apparatus carrying car consists of a housing 12 having a compressor 13 mounted therein. The shaft 14 of the said compressor may be driven by any suitable motor operated by steam from the boiler or may be operated by an electric motor 17. v A condenser provided for liquefying the refrigerant may include a series of headers.

19 which receive the refrigerant from the compressor. The headers are connected with receivers 21 and the'receivers are connected with a cooler 22.. The receivers are also connected with tanks 23. The compressor 13 is connected with an oil trap 24 and tanks 25. The said tanks are also connected with the headers 19. Hose coupling sections 26 are provided for connecting the tanks with the pipe 11 upon the car platform 10 and a hose coupling section 27 is provided for connecting the cooler 22 with the pipe section 6 of the next adjacent refrigerator car. Said coupling sections are controlled by valves 28.

. A hot water or steam pipe 29 is disposed along the housing 12 and may be connected with the pipe 11 upon the car platform 10 and the pipe 6 of the refrigerator car. The pipe 29 is used for leading hot water or steam from the boiler 9 to the coils 4 to warm the car body 1 when desired. The refrigerating plant which is carried in the housing 12 operatesin'a usual manner for supplying the refrigerant to the pipe 6 of the car body 1- when it is desired to keep the said car body cool. The compartments 3 are partly filled with water and when the refrigerant is passed through the coils 4, the said water is frozen into a solid mass. This will keep the car cool should it be disconnected and sidetracked for any length of time. The gauge 30 will indicate the temperature inside of the compartment. The temperature plant materially cuts down' the cost of operating, for

the reason that only a few operators are neccssary. It eliminates the hazard and danger of loss of life because it is not necessary for an operator to stay withthe refrigerator-cars while in transit.

Since the construction herein'beforeset forth is capable of a certain range of change and modification without materially departing from the spirit of the invention, I do not limit myself to such specific structure except as hereinafter claimed.

The combination in a travelling refrigerating plant, of a car, a refrigerating unit housed in said car and having a refrigerant line leading from the unit to the exterior, a coupling upon the outer end ofsaid line, a refrigerator car adapted to be coupled to the first mentioned car, and having icing chambers at the ends thereof, a refrigerant con veying pipe extending longitudinally through the second mentioned car and exteriorly of the ends thereof and adapted to be coupled to the first mentioned refrigerant conducting plpe, and f1GOZ1Ilg'C01lS 1n said compartments each connected at one end to the refrigerant carrying pipe passing through the chambered car and having a pipe line connecting their other ends togethei.

In testimony whereof I hereunto-ailix my signature.

PETE M. MASOIAN. 

